AMSTERDAM - Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO), the world leader in digital security, announces that China Telecom has selected its UpTeq Multi-tenant NFC SIMs to deploy secure NFC transport services in China's two largest cities - Shanghai and Beijing. China Telecom is a leading operator in the country with more than 183 million subscribers. This deployment will enable up to 45 million[1] daily commuters to ride their metros and pay for their everyday purchases with a simple tap of their smartphones. The NFC SIMs are also embedded with Gemalto's 4G LTE management software, allowing users to download applications with the convenience and speed of mobile broadband.

China has a population of about 1.4 billion and by 2020, 60% of its people will live in the cities[2]. To cater to the increased masses, the transport and payment systems are moving rapidly towards contactless form. For payment alone, China has about 4 million terminals accepting UnionPay's QuickPass. The country also has the largest smartphone user base in the world[3], offering huge potential for mobile contactless transactions. Now that the two biggest mobile operators have launched NFC transport services in Beijing, almost all of the city commuters can ride their metros using their smartphones.

"China Telecom has been Gemalto's partner for a long time. Last year, we provided specially-designed NFC SIMs for their nationwide launch of NFC services," said Suzanne Tong-Li, President for Greater China and Korea at Gemalto. "With 4G FDD-LTE commercial license, they will be able to leverage the additional LTE feature of Gemalto's SIMs to offer faster and enhanced NFC services to their customers, leading to a wider adoption of mobile contactless services across the country."

The UpTeq NFC Multi-tenant SIM forms part of Gemalto's complete portfolio of mobile contactless solutions, which include the Allynis Trusted Services Hub.

Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO) is the world leader in digital security with 2014 annual revenues of EUR 2.5 billion and more than 14,000 employees operating out of 99 offices and 34 research and software development centers, located in 46 countries.

We are at the heart of the rapidly evolving digital society. Billions of people worldwide increasingly want the freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain and work - anytime, everywhere - in ways that are enjoyable and safe. Gemalto enables companies and administrations to offer trusted and convenient digital services to these individuals. We secure in particular mobile services, the financial transactions, the internet and private clouds, eHealthcare systems, access to eGovernment services, the internet-of-things, and transport ticketing systems. Our unique technology portfolio from cryptographic software embedded in a variety of familiar objects to high-volume high-availability authentication, encryption and rights management platforms and world class service delivery teams are valued by our blue-chip customers in more than 180 countries around the world.

Gemalto helps people to trust one another in an increasingly connected digital world.

For more information visit www.gemalto.com, www.justaskgemalto.com, blog.gemalto.com, or follow @gemalto on Twitter.